Themes

Ages

Dora's Enchanted Forest Castle

There's only one place to find a unicorn, dragon, and your favorite explorer, Dora--and that's in the Enchanted Forest! Kids can enter into the magical kingdom when you build this paper castle, seen in "Dora's Enchanted Forest Adventures!" Watch this exciting tale and then encourage your kids to create their own mythical adventure with this charming shoebox theater as their set. For more enchanting activities, click here.

Explore with Dora every day on Nick Jr.

You'll need to allow extra time for glue or paint to dry.

This craft is best suited for parents to make on their own or with minimal help from kids.

Directions

Step 1: Setting Up

Gather the materials listed, and then print and cut out all the templates (making sure to keep the templates in separate piles).

Step 2: Creating the Castle Base

Flatten the cereal boxes and then undo flaps at the bottom and sides of the cereal boxes. Glue the cereal boxes together at the center. This will leave you with a flat base you will put your shoebox on. Once attached, fold up the flattened cereal boxes side flaps.<br><br>
Open the flap of the shoebox and apply glue around the shoebox opening edges. Place the shoebox opening on the center of the cereal base you created.

Step 3: Forming the Lower Tier

Glue the gatehouse printable (printable with door) on the shoebox. The door should be centered on the box. Glue the gatehouse roof printables on the top of the box. Cut the printables to fit.<br><br>
Attach the curtain wall templates to the raised cereal box flaps, folding the templates where necessary to fit around the entire base (see photo for reference).<br><br>
Wrap the toilet tissue rolls and paper towel rolls with the tower printables. Fold the steeples into cone shapes and attach to the tops of the rolls.<br><br>
Glue the paper towel rolls to the cereal box base (see photo for reference). The toilet tissue rolls can be glued to the lid of the shoebox after the lid is covered with the appropriate printable.

Step 4: Forming the Upper Tier

Create the top of the castle's keep by folding along the solid lines and gluing the printables together along the tabs to form a box shape. Cut the top of the milk carton off (about 5 inches) and with the cut opening facing down, wrap the castle's keep base template around the milk carton. Cut the carton where the printable does not cover. Glue the top of the castle's keep to the base.<br><br>
Wrap the toilet tissue roll and paper towel roll with the tower printables, create the steeples and attach to the rolls. Attach the tall tower's flag to a toothpick and stick inside the tower's steeple.<br><br>
Glue the castle's keep to the top center of the shoebox and then attach the towers (see photos for reference). Fold the castle's walls to fit the top of the shoebox (see photo). Attach the walls to the top of the shoebox by folding along the solid horizontal line at the base of the templates and cutting a slit along the vertical fold you created. The slit should be created up until the solid horizontal line.

Step 5: Building the Bridge

Cover the paper towel rolls with the tower printables, create the steeples and attach to the rolls.<br><br>
Create the bridge by folding along the solid lines and gluing the tabs together. Once the bridge is created, place one of the paper towel rolls on top of the shoebox and the other on the cereal base. Apply glue to both sides of the bridge and attach each side to one of the paper towel rolls (see photo for reference). Once dry, glue the paper towel rolls down (one to the top of the shoebox and the other to the cereal box).

Step 6: Decorating the Castle

Attach the foreground to the lid of the shoebox and then glue down the two front towers (see photo for reference).<br><br>
Fold the bottom of the bush templates back. They should stand on their own once the base is folded. Glue the bushes onto the lid.

Step 7: Making the Puppets

Set the castle aside to dry, and cut out each of the characters. Create the base of the puppet by folding up the solid horizontal black line, then fold the character down the center along the solid vertical line. Apply glue to the back of the printable and firmly press both sides together. This will create a double-sided puppet that stands (glue should not be applied to the base of the puppet). <br><br>
When the puppet's dry, your child's magical adventure with Dora and her forest friends can begin!